


A Second Chance

by seokgayysus



Category: Naruto, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Aizawa Shouta & Iida Tensei & Kayama Nemuri & Yamada Hizashi Friendship, Angst, BAMF Hatake Kakashi, Biological Parent Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Childhood, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Eventual Fluff, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot-centric, Memories, Mentioned Shirakumo Oboro, Multi, Night Terrors, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parental Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Past Abuse, Past Lives, Protective Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Reincarnation, U.A. Classmates Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Iida Tensei | Ingenium & Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Uncle Hakamata Tsunagu | Best Jeanist, Uncle Sakamata Kuugo | Gang Orca, Worried Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Young Hatake Kakashi, quirk baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28259367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seokgayysus/pseuds/seokgayysus
Summary: Where Kakashi is reborn as Edgeshot's son, and he has a second chance to make more of a difference in this lifetime than in his last one.
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta & Iida Tensei & Kayama Nemuri & Yamada Hizashi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Hakamata Tsunagu | Best Jeanist & Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Hakamata Tsunagu | Best Jeanist & Sakamata Kuugo | Gang Orca, Hatake Kakashi & Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot, Hatake Kakashi & Shinsou Hitoshi, Kamihara Shinya | Edgeshot & Sakamata Kuugo | Gang Orca
Comments: 54
Kudos: 328





	1. Year 0

_"Edgeshot! Say something! What's your current location?!"_

Shinya made a fatal mistake as a hero, especially an underground hero. He knows that he did when one moment of hesitation upon seeing the villain allowed the man to use his quirk against him. Of course, Shinya uses Foldabody against the villain, cutting off his blood flow to his brain before feeling the effects of his quirk.

So there he was, collapsed in a dark alleyway with the unconscious villain nearby, realizing that these might be his last moments as an uncomfortable, tight feeling grows on his side. According to the reports on the villain, he can make a mass of your own duplicated cells form together and eventually burst out of your body, resulting in the victim quickly bleeding out and dying. 

"In a-an alley… c-couple of b-blocks down… got h-hit with t-the q-quirk…" Edgeshot struggles to reply, his energy speedily sapping away from him as the mass of cells rapidly grows on him. 

The sensation is becoming more painful by the second, and Shinya can't help but feel frustrated that he was only a hero for six months and he's already going to die. The good thing about this is that the villain will now be captured, and it's one less person with a dangerous quirk using it for evil. It's probably the best way for Shinya to die, he supposes as he falls unconscious. 

The last thing he sees is the feet of his friend and hero he's a sidekick for, Best Jeanist. 

~~

The next time Shinya comes to, it's in a hospital bed without his hero costume and a sore side. 

Shinya has to blink a few times before his vision focuses enough for him to know that. He lets out a small groan at the fact that he somehow landed in a hospital, asking himself what happened before he was hit with memories of the last mission he was on. His eyes widen before sharply sitting up, regretting the action when his side's soreness becomes a dull pain. 

"Woah there, Kamihara," He hears from one of his friends from Shiketsu, Sakamata Kuugo, more well known as Gang Orca. 

The man is quick to gently push Shinya back down on the bed, his familiar, orca-like head coming into view. Shinya lets it happen, sighing in relief as the pain slowly leaves him before looking over to him. 

"Senpai, it's been a while," Shinya says, his voice feeling slightly raspy as he talks. 

Kuugo quickly hands him a cup of water, which Shinya takes a few gulps out of gingerly. Kuugo shakes his head before staring at his younger friend in deadpan. 

"You nearly died, Kamihara. I came here once Jeanist contacted me about you," 

Shinya can't help but smile at his words, especially considering that Kuugo is his best friend despite being two years his senior. 

Kugo starts smiling back at him, and that's when Shinya realizes that his mask isn't on, instinctively reaching to touch his face. Kuugo's smile drops, but Shinya just shrugs since it's not the first time the man sees his face. Thankfully, Kuugo hands him his casual mask, and Shinya slips it on, immediately feeling more comfortable with it, and just in time for a doctor to walk in. 

"It's great to see that you're awake now, Edgeshot. My name is Doctor Kenji," The tall Doctor says in a kind tone, making the sidekick calm down. 

This is Shinya's first time getting hospitalized, and he had always heard of a section of every hospital specifically for heroes for the sake of better security and privacy. For any hero, especially underground heroes who need to keep their identities and quirks secret, that kind of privacy is valued. 

"It's great to realize I survived. I guess I have you to thank, among others," Shinya replies before inclining his head towards the physician. 

While doctors aren't pro heroes, they are heroes in their own ways for their work to help and save others just like heroes; it's only in a different way. 

"Your thanks are appreciated, but it's my pleasure to have been able to save you. Especially since everyone else found to be hit by this particular quirk is found dead, or is too late to be saved by the time they're found," The Doctor says with a slightly grim expression before looking at the chart in his hand. 

He then does a quick lookover of Shinya's vitals, humming satisfactorily before looking at him and Kuugo with a small smile. 

"How are you feeling since waking up?" 

"I'm fine for the most part. My side is just somewhat sore, but that's to be expected," Shinya readily replies before his eyes widen in realization. 

"I will go onto that shortly," Doctor Kenji says, watching as Shinya reluctantly nods. 

"While your surgery was somewhat difficult, we were able to successfully remove the fetus from your body, saving both your life and his," The Doctor continues, almost hesitating when he got around to mentioning the baby. 

Kugo makes a choked sound, looking between the relieved Shinya and Doctor Kenji. 

"You'll be making a full recovery, and I already advised Best Jeanist that you should be free from hero work for at least 2 weeks to let your body heal," 

"And the baby?" Shinya immediately asks. 

"The baby was on assisted oxygen for about 36 hours before being able to breathe on his own. Besides that, he's perfectly healthy. And speaking of him, we have a social worker that has been waiting to talk to you," 

At those words, it finally hits Shinya that he technically has a baby. He's 18 years old, a recent hero graduate, and he was attacked by a quirk that gave him a baby, _his_ baby, a supposed baby version of himself. An infant who will need someone responsible enough to take care of him. 

"Right," Shinya murmurs, not really knowing how to feel due to his conflicting feelings at the moment. 

Even if he's from a quirk, the baby deserves to grow up feeling loved and taken care of just as any other child should be, unlike how Shinya was treated growing up. Doctor Kenji's expression softens at the young man before making a decision that changes everything. 

"Before anything else, would you like to see him?" he asks him, watching as Kuugo's eyes widen along with Shinya's before he gives the faintest nod. 

"Kamihara, are you sure about this?" Kuugo asks his dear friend. 

Shinya turns to Kuugo and nods again, saying, "I'm sure," softly but firmly. 

Kuugo sits back in his seat, letting out a resigned sigh as the Doctor turns around to leave, presumably to go bring the infant. 

"I never got to see many baby pictures of myself before… you know. Might as well see what I would've looked like," Shinya says in a low tone. 

Kugo chuckles lightly, wanting to avoid making the mood dip since he's aware of how little Shinya even mentions his background leisurely. He had only gotten to making small jokes about it recently, and Kuugo doesn't want to ruin any kind of progress Shinya may be making. Shinya ends up finishing the cup of water when the Doctor comes back with a bundle of purple blankets in his arms. 

Shinya sharply inhales, almost entranced as his eyes track the Doctor until he's being sat up before being handed the infant into his own arms. Doctor Kenji and Kuugo give Shinya a few pointers on how to hold him properly, and all the teen could do is stare down at the small, gray-haired baby in his arms. The infant squirms in his arms slightly before quietly settling. 

Shinya feels his heart stop beating when the infants' eyes slowly open, and a pair of gray eyes darker than his own stare up at him. Upon seeing him, the infant smiles and coos, making Shinya's eyes water. He decides to pull his mask down to let the baby, to let _his son_ look at his face, even if he probably can't see that clearly. 

"Hello there," Shinya softly tells him, smiling despite the tears running down his face as he lets the infant grab onto his pinky finger. 

Upon seeing his friend's expression, Kuugo smiles in defeat, knowing that he very well may have someone to consider a nephew from now on. He just knows that Shinya wouldn't be able to live with himself if he put the baby up for adoption. He knows that Shinya would want to try to be the best parent he could be, the parent he never really got to have. 

"What would happen if I chose to keep him?" Shinya questions after wiping away some of his tears to look up at the Doctor. 

Doctor Kenji looks at the young hero in shock at the fact that he's even considering keeping the infant, considering his current life and occupation. Despite that, he decides to answer the question without saying anything else since it's not his place to tell a patient what to do with personal situations like these.

"Nothing. He may have been born from a quirk, but he is still an infant, and he was born from you. He's your son, should you want him to be yours," 

Shinya looks from the Doctor to the baby again, watching with another soft smile as he keeps cooing at him, still having yet to let go of his pinky. 

"Then I want to keep him," Shinya finally says. 

"You'll be discharged tomorrow, so you'll have plenty of time to bond with him, as well as fill out his birth certificate. I assume you may also want educational tips on how to take care of a baby?" Doctor Kenji asks with a smile. 

"I got that covered, Doctor. I'm the oldest out of my siblings and we live nearby each other," Kuugo speaks up, getting an understanding nod from the Doctor while Shinya looks at him with a grateful expression. 

"I'll be back with the birth certificate. Of course, you don't have to choose a name right at this moment, but it may be ideal to give him one before being discharged tomorrow," Doctor Kenji advises before leaving the room again. 

"So, any names coming to mind?" Kuugo asks, leaning over to get a closer look at the baby. 

Of course, he tries not to lean in too far so that the infant wouldn't be terrified of his appearance, but it's too late when those dark gray eyes look towards him. Kuugo freezes, not knowing what to do when the baby starts cooing again instead of screaming and crying. Shinya chuckles at that, muttering a small "cute" at his son before a name idea comes to him. 

"Remember one of my hero name options that I told you about?" Shinya asks his friend, watching as recognition falls across Kuugo's face. 

"You mean _scarecrow_ ? You're planning to name your son _scarecrow_?" Kuugo questions, saying the name in English as Shinya planned to have before deciding that Edgeshot fit him better in a different matter than that. 

Of course, Shinya laughs at that suggestion before shaking his head. 

"Of course not. _Scarecrow isn't_ an option, but Kakashi is," Shinya clarifies with slight proudness seeping through his tone. 

"The Japanese name for it. Of course," Kuugo deadpans, cracking a smile when Shinya chuckles some more and nods. 

"He'll be my little _scarecrow_. Isn't that right, Kakashi?" Shinya asks, getting a small coo from the infant. 

Shinya smiles widely at his son, Kakashi, before looking at Kuugo again.

"See? Kakashi seems to like his name as well," Shinya points out to his friend. 

Kuugo sighs in defeat, and Doctor Kenji comes back with the birth certificate and a pen in hand. When Shinya is done with that, he looks down at Kakashi again, smiling before lightly poking his cheek. 

"You're officially Kamihara Kakashi now, little one," He whispers, getting another coo in reply. 

Kuugo sighs, knowing that he'll have to ask for the rest of the week off to make sure that both Shinya and Kakashi are taken care of. 

~~

Being injured may be one of the worst ways to start off being a parent. It's the night after being discharged from the hospital with Kakashi, and all Shinya could do was curse at his body for not letting him get up to comfort his son at 3 in the morning. It seems that he pushed himself a bit too hard since being discharged for the sake of learning how to be a good dad, and now his side is aching when he takes too quick or too deep of a breath. 

Kakashi doesn't really do much outside of sleep, but that didn't stop Shinya from fussing and being all over the place at his apartment. 

"Don't get up, Kamihara. I'll go see Kakashi. He's probably just hungry," Kuugo whispers as he pokes his head into the room before walking in and towards the crib they picked out the day before. 

Shinya sits up slightly despite his body's protests and watches as Kuugo picks Kakashi up and snuggles him into his arms, whispering comforting words to the infant, turning to him. 

"Lay back down, Kamihara. You won't be able to take care of him properly if you can't even sit up," Kuugo says with a sigh, making Shinya reluctantly lay down as Kuugo continues on to leave the room. 

Shinya still hates that he can't be the one to feed Kakashi despite knowing that Kuugo is right. The sooner his injury heals, the sooner he can start being a proper dad to his son. Even if he's only 18, he will be the father that Kakashi deserves, no matter what. When Kakashi's cries calm down, Shinya is slowly lulled back to sleep to the point that he doesn't wake up when Kuugo walks back in a little while later to lay Kakashi back to sleep. 

~~

"Sakamata! It's been a while since we last saw each other," Shinya hears from his bedroom, slightly surprised to know that Hakamata Tsunagu, otherwise known as Best Jeanist, is visiting. 

Tsunagu was quick to shoot up in the billboard ranks since debuting, and he has been a hero often in the spotlight due to that. He managed to even open up his own hero agency by the age of 20 and was kind enough to make Shinya be the first to start his underground hero division. Someone who was originally Kuugo's friend was quick to become a friend of Shinya's as well. 

"It has," Kuugo replies before Shinya hears the door to his apartment close. 

"I know you've been staying here the past week, so I brought food,"

"Thanks, senpai. Put it in the kitchen while I go check on them," Kuugo replies before footsteps grow louder outside of Shinya's room. 

"Come in," Shinya responds before Kuugo could say anything. 

The door slowly opens, and Kugo quickly surveys him and Kakashi before informing Shinya of their guest. With Kakashi happily cooing in his arms, Shinya slowly gets up from his bed to greet the oldest out of the three of them. Tsunagu is in the living room when he sets his sights on the baby and newly made father with a wide smile. 

"It's great to see you alive and well, Kamihara," Tsunagu starts before walking closer to peer at the infant, "I'm assuming this is little Kakashi?" 

As if at the sound of his name, Kakashi gurgles happily. Shinya smiles at the sight before holding Kakashi towards him.

"Wanna hold him?" Shinya offers. 

Of course, Tsunagu answers by simply scooping Kakashi into his arms, pacing around to talk to the baby for a bit while Shinya moves to sit down on his couch. His side doesn't ache as much as it did initially, but he refuses to accidentally push himself. Kuugo can't be around to help him forever, after all. 

"How come your mini me has darker eyes than yours?" Tsunagu asks after a while. 

Shinya gives his friend a look at his choice of words. 

"I'm not sure. Then again, we don't know how true it is that he's supposed to be a replica of me," Shinya replies, just as he was told at the hospital when he had the same question. 

"That's true, considering this little guy is the first to surivive from that quirk. At least, as far as it's documented," Tsunagu replies. 

"We were told to watch out for any anomaly's considering that Kakashi is a quirk baby, but he's been pretty normal so far," Kuugo informs Tsunagu. 

"But you'll be going back to patrol starting tomorrow, aren't you?" 

Kuugo nods at that, he and Shinya watching as Tsunagu lifts Kakashi in front of him, slowly smiling before coddling the infant in his arms again. 

"I wouldn't mind watching this little one sometimes," Tsunagu decides. 

"What?" Shinya asks in surprise. 

"I can watch Kakashi when you go back to patrolling. I'm sure the little guy wouldn't mind bonding with with me. Right, mini Shinya?" Tsunagu says, directing his question to Kakashi, who only looks at him with wide eyes before smiling. 

"See? Kakashi agrees," Tsunagu says in a lighter tone. 

"Are you sure about this?" Kuugo asks, just as shocked by Tsunagu's words as Shinya is. 

"Of course! It would be cruel if only you were helping Shinya, Sakamata. Being a hero with a family is difficult, especially with unplanned children at a young age," Tsunagu starts before looking at Shinya. 

"You're already an excellent hero, and you deserve to flourish. Thankfully for both you and Kakashi, you're an underground hero so you'll be able to be quite active in his life while still patrolling. And it's because of that, I'll be assisting. I don't tend to do hero work at nights, unless it's called for. I'm also sure that Sakamata and I can come up with some sort of schedule as well," Tsunagu explains, getting a nod from the mutant hero. 

At their support, the tears spring from Shinya's eyes before he could stop it. But before he can thank Tsunagu, the man raises his hand to stop him. 

"Don't thank me. We're friends, Shinya. Why wouldn't I help you? Besides, your baby is cute,"

And once Shinya was able to heal, he, Kuugo, and Tsunagu eventually fell into a mostly stable schedule to accommodate Kakashi in their lives. Shinya could say with certainty that he wouldn't have been as stable as possible if it wasn't for them. 

What he never expected was for Tsunagu to be seen with his child, and the headlines being filled with people wondering whose baby Kakashi is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm here once again, with a crossover fic that I've planned extensively for months ahdfj so here is the beginning!   
> Feel free to join the server I co-own with the amazing writer, KyraMidoriya!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/Y6w6bBN)  
> Until next time!


	2. Years 2 and 3

The past two years with Kakashi have been some of the most interesting for Shinya. He never thought that the day would come where he would cry tears of joy more than before would happen. He just can't help it when it comes to Kakashi and whatever he does. 

Shinya has been so proud of his son. Despite being a quirk baby, Kakashi has been perfectly healthy. He’s been reaching milestones a bit early in the game, but Shinya couldn’t care less as long as he’s doing alright. 

Not just that, but as planned, Shinya has been able to patrol enough to be a fairly established underground hero. Everything’s been going well for Shinya. At least it was until November. 

It’s the November after Kakashi’s second birthday that the toddler’s night terrors start. The first one haunts Shinya the most. Seeing his son scream and thrash around his bed without being able to wake him up was absolutely terrifying. 

And seeing Kakashi wake up and break down in his arms because of his own franticness after it was over broke his heart into pieces. 

He wished that it would never happen again, but it did. Night, after night, and after night, Shinya would either wake up to the most horrific screams, or he would get a frantic call or a string of messages from Kuugo or Tsunagu while patrolling. 

It became even more frustrating when they went to the doctor, and they said that there’s nothing they can do against night terrors. None of the methods to help with night terrors work either. Shinya was forced to live with the fact that his son will suffer at night for an unpredictable amount of time. 

_At least Kakashi can’t remember what happens._ Shinya tells himself one night after an episode, Kakashi already back to sleeping peacefully. It does concern him that Kakashi started yelling out names during his night terror episodes after New Year's. At least, Shinya assumes that “Obito” and “Rin” are the names that he screams out. 

Shinya really hopes that this isn't somehow a completely different quirk from his causing the night terrors. Kakashi may be 100% his kid, but anything can be unpredictable. Either way, he’s hoping that the night terrors go away soon. 

Kakashi hasn’t been the same since they started. By the end of February, the night terrors did go away, only for a worse situation to arise. It's been a few days since Kakashi’s last episode, and it's now March. 

Shinya was peacefully sleeping when the screams start. Except, this scream is different because Kakashi is yelling _for_ Shinya. Unlike any of the other nights, Kakashi is stumbling towards him, tears streaming down his face as he sobs. 

Shinya envelops his son in a hug, trying to ask him what's wrong, only for the toddler to sob harder. After a few days, they go back to the doctor, only to be told that nothing can be done about nightmares. Shinya has never felt so helpless before. 

He can’t help but feel like a terrible father because he can’t help his son with how much he’s suffering. All he can do is watch as Kakashi grows more tired, anxious, and secluded as the days go by. And Kakashi, he’s practically more traumatized almost every night. 

~~

Seeing all the blood, people fighting and killing each other, monsters, and more is just so scary for Kakashi. He doesn’t know why he keeps seeing so many scary things, but he wants it to go away—even the good dreams he has with a guy and a girl, Obito, and Rin. 

Kakashi just wants it all to go away. He doesn’t want to see them suffer and die anymore. He doesn’t want to sleep anymore if it means he can avoid it. 

But he can’t. 

~~

By the time it’s July, Kakashi has become a miserable and quiet toddler who isn’t even 3 years old yet. The haunted look in his eyes is of someone who's really been traumatized. Shinya, Kuugo, and Tsunagu don’t know what to do. 

Not only that, but it's been difficult scheduling around Kakashi as Tsunagu and Kuugo rise higher and higher in the ranks every Billboard update. 

Because of that, Shinya becomes desperate enough that he asks the new underground hero he took under his wing, Eraserhead, for a favor. 

“Edgeshot,” Eraserhead greets, sitting next to the man on a rooftop. 

The teen seemed calm, but internally, he was anxious to know why such an established underground hero, the same one who helped him start out independently, wants to talk to him. 

“Eraser,” he greets tiredly, which nearly throws the teen off guard. 

Shouta never really heard the man sound so exhausted as he does at that moment. 

“Do you need something from me?” He asks curiously, not really sure of what else to say. 

Shinya turns to him, and his eyes wrinkle for a moment as if he’s smiling. 

“How would you feel about having a second job?” 

“A second job?” 

“A babysitting job, to be exact,” Shinya adds on, almost wanting to smile again to see how perplexed Shouta looks. 

“Where exactly is this going?” 

Shinya sighs before turning his body to face Shouta, hoping the teen gets the hint. 

“My best friends are getting busier with their jobs, so I need someone else to help me out,” 

Shinya watches as Shouta’s eyes widen, and knows that he finally understands. 

“You have a kid?!” Shouta asks in shock. 

“Kakashi. He’s turning three in a few months,” Shinya clarifies. 

“I didn’t know that you had a kid,” Shouta mutters. 

“Because only a select few do,” Shinya says before explaining exactly how Kakashi came to be and his current dilemma with scheduling. 

Shouta was at a loss for words by the end of the explanation. He can’t help but find how well hidden Shinya keeps his private life impressive. 

“So, you’re the friend Best Jeanist said he babysits for a few years ago?” 

Shouta remembers that being on the headlines for weeks when people spotted Tsunagu walking in public with a baby on his chest. 

“Yeah, that friend is me,” Shinya chuckles. 

“How did you manage hero work and raising a kid this whole time?” Shouta can’t help but ask. 

“Time management. That’s becoming harder with Jeanist and our other friend becoming busier with hero work due to their rankings. Which goes back to my question of whether or not you would be up for a babysitting job?” 

Shouta stays silent for a moment, mentally weighing the pros and cons of accepting the job. In the end, his gratefulness to Shinya for helping him start up independently and his admiration for him won him over. Oboro’s words ring in his mind for a few moments before he agrees to it. 

Shouta ends up babysitting Kakashi a few days later, and it was almost nothing like he expected. Both he and Shinya agreed that he would be invited over so Kakashi could meet him and whatnot. When Shinya said that Kakashi has changed ever since he had night terrors and then nightmares, Shouta was expecting a whiny kid that acts cautiously. 

What he got was a clingy toddler of few words with a haunted look on his face that he shouldn’t have. 

“Kakashi, this is a friend of mine, Aizawa Shouta. Aizawa, this is Kakashi,” Shinya introduces with a gentle smile, the toddler in his arms, looking straight into Shouta. 

“Hello,” Kakashi mutters with a wavering voice before clinging onto his father. 

Shinya gently pats his back before turning to Shouta and giving him space to enter his apartment. With a bow in greeting, Shouta shuts the door behind him and takes off his shoes, replacing them with indoor slippers placed there for him. Shinya was in a black t-shirt and black shorts, which is much less than the hero costume Shouta got used to seeing with him. 

The teen can’t blame him, though, since it is summer, after all. 

Shouta spent about an hour in the Kamihara apartment before leaving. Shinya decided that he can start the day after the next. Kakashi didn’t really seem troublesome, and he wasn’t in the ways Shouta was thinking. In fact, Shouta quickly grew to _wish_ that Kakashi would be a regular snotty nosed brat. 

After a few days of babysitting Kakashi during certain hours of the day, Shouta concluded that the child is utterly miserable. Every time Kamihara would leave, they’d have a minute-long hugging session. Shouta can’t help but frown when he practically sees the tension build on Kakashi’s body as he watches his dad leave. 

It’s nearly haunting how Kakashi would silently walk up to him, staring up with tired, empty eyes in expectation before Shouta leads him to the living room to watch some kids' cartoons. Shinya swears that Kakashi does enjoy certain shows, but if he does, Shouta can’t see it since Kakashi just stares blankly at the screen. Kakashi doesn’t even react much while eating foods that Shinya told Shouta that he enjoys a lot.

It’s as if the life in Kakashi died a long time ago. 

The only time he sees a reaction to something is when Shouta would try to put him down for a nap. Immediately, he gets a wide-eyed stare of terror from Kakashi before he starts crying. Shouta didn’t have the resolve to insist after it happened the first time. 

Shouta would be grateful that he doesn’t have to expend so much energy, but it almost feels worth the effort if it meant this kid would actually act like a kid. After talking to one of his best friends, Iida Tensei, Shouta came up with an idea in hopes of bonding with Kakashi just so he would be more comfortable with him around. And so, the next week that he spends babysitting Kakashi, around the time he should be taking a nap, Shouta gets his attention.

“Hey, Kakashi,” He softly calls out. 

The toddler looks at him blankly, but Shouta ignores it. 

“I’m going to take a nap for a little while. Just tap me or call out for me if you need anything,” He says as he shows off the sleeping bag that he brought with him that day. 

Kakashi blinks and then nods at him before turning back to the tv. Shouta did catch him eyeing the sleeping bag almost suspiciously as he gets himself in it and zips it up before closing his eyes to rest for a while. For an hour and a half, Shouta would take a scheduled nap an hour after they eat lunch. 

He would sometimes see Kakashi glancing at him, but he lets it happen without question for two weeks. Finally, at the end of the third week of doing this, he feels a gentle poke against his cheek during one of his naps, so he slowly opens his eyes to see Kakashi in front of him. 

“What is it, Kakashi?”

Kakashi stays silent for a few seconds before answering in a soft voice that Shouta almost forgot what it sounded like. 

“Why do you sleep in that on the floor?” 

Shouta shrugs. 

“It’s comfy like this,” 

Kakashi blinks at him, almost in a curious manner, before nodding and going back to sit on the couch to keep watching cartoons. Shouta goes back to his nap. Another week passes, and Shouta feels eyes on him more often while napping. 

Finally, Shouta decides to open his eyes when he feels the staring again. He ends up in a bit of a staring contest with Kakashi, who was probably not expecting Shouta to suddenly open his eyes. Kakashi looks away first, but Shouta starts unzipping his sleeping bag, which regains the toddler’s attention. 

“Do you want to get in?”

Kakashi’s eyes widen a fraction, and his jaw drops a bit at the offer. After about 30 seconds, Kakashi slowly slides off of the couch, hesitantly walking over to Shouta while the teen patiently waits. Kakashi slowly crawls in the somewhat specious sleeping bag, pressing his back against Shouta’s chest before hugging himself. 

Shouta zips them up, and he gives Kakashi a bit to settle into whatever position is comfortable for him. 

“How does it feel?” He asks the child. 

“Nice,” Kakashi softly replies. 

Shouta can feel the corners of his mouth twitch upward at the answer before closing his eyes. 

“I’m going back to sleep,” He informs the kid, feeling him nod as he starts drifting off. 

After that, it became a habit for Kakashi to join Shouta in his sleeping bag, although Shouta is unsure if the kid is resting or just staring off into space when they do. After that, though, Shouta resorts to sleeping while sitting upright in front of the tv so he could sleep, and Kakashi could watch his cartoons at the same time. Shouta can say that he made progress with Kakashi when he was more tired than usual, and Kamihara found them _both_ sleeping in his sleeping bag. 

However, it was only a small win for Kakashi and Shouta’s bond, but not for Kakashi’s overall happiness. 

Shouta has never seen a kid not be happy on their own birthday. Of course, Shouta was invited to the little birthday party that Kamihara had. The only other people invited were Best Jeanist and Gang Orca, who were surprisingly happy to meet him and hear about managing to get Kakashi to sleep without any nightmares. 

Besides that, the event was utterly depressing. The five of them spent the entire day at the Kamihara apartment, watching the cartoons that Kakashi liked and having lunch and dinner be the food that Kakashi likes. In the evening, they showed Kakashi a little cake that Jeanist brought, and the kid cried. 

But the tears weren’t tears of joy. Kakashi just clung onto his father and cried his little eyes out, much more than Shouta ever saw. Shouta offered to share his sleeping bag (one that he keeps as a spare at the apartment), and Kakashi falls asleep, clinging onto the teen. 

Seeing the other adults so distraught over Kakashi, he felt the same as well. The last few months of babysitting the kid have left Shouta wanting to do something to make Kakashi smile even a little bit. Just _something_ that would make Kakashi feel some joy. 

The night ended with Kakashi waking up to have some cake, which he did end up asking for. The next day, Shouta appears at the apartment with a smaller sleeping bag just for Kakashi. He doesn’t react beyond hugging it in his arms and a little thank you, but Shinya is sure that Kakashi genuinely likes it. 

Even if it doesn’t end the nightmares, he’s informed that the sleeping bag helps Kakashi calm down faster than before, which is something, at least. Shouta, along with Shinya, Kuugo, and Tsunagu, just hope that the constant nightmares end soon so Kakashi can be happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I'm back with an update! This chapter was already in the works for a while, so I decided to complete it 😃how yall enjoying the misery? Tell me what you thought in the comments!!
> 
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> Until next time!!


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